No. 2 overall draft pick Darryn Peterson shined in his Summer League debut, scoring 28 points in 27 minutes to help the Utah Jazz notch a 103-102 overtime victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday at Salt Lake City.
Peterson has the microscope on him after a much-maligned one college season in which he dealt with repeated cramping issues and other injuries. The Jazz picked him after the Washington Wizards took BYU’s AJ Dybantsa at No. 1 in the draft,
Peterson made 11 of 21 field-goal attempts, including 4 of 7 from 3-point range, and also contributed five rebounds and two blocked shots. On the downside, he committed eight turnovers.
Peterson pointed out the game was his first since Kansas lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against St. John’s. He averaged 20.2 points last season but missed 11 of the Jayhawks’ 35 games.
“It felt great,” Peterson said. “I hadn’t played since my last game in March. Playing another basketball game, this is what I love to do.”
Utah’s next game is Monday against the Memphis Grizzlies, also on the University of Utah campus.
